FitSugar

Michelle Obama Arm Envy Reaching New Heights

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:30:00 -0700

Michelle Obama made a fashionable entrance into the White House, and the first lady has been receiving attention on her style choices and toned arms since President Obama was sworn into office. While Michelle has been showing her commitment to promoting healthful eating across the country, Americans have been exhibiting their dedication to her toned arms on the Internet and in the gym.

There's a website dedicated to the first lady's enviable arms, appropriately named First Guns, where Michelle's arms have been endearingly nicknamed Thunder and Lightning. The Running Center in New York has developed a class called M.O.D.A (Michelle Obama Defined Arms) that focuses on the body part our first lady is known for, and I'd put money on more gyms offering similar classes.

Feeling a little Michelle-Obama-arm-envy yourself? Check out my collection of arm exercises: Work your biceps, triceps, and shoulders to get stronger and more defined arms.

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Stretch It: Seated Biceps Stretch

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:30:00 -0800

Here's a stretch for one of the biggest muscles in your arms, the biceps. Along with your biceps, you'll also feel a nice stretch in your pectoralis mucles (your chest).

Sit on the floor with your legs bent in front of you.
Lean back and place your hands flat on floor just behind your booty. Fingers should be pointing away from body and your hands should be relatively close together.
Slowly walk your feet forward (away from your hands) until you feel the stretch in your biceps, but not so much that it hurts.
Hold for 30 seconds.

Back to Basics: Overhead Press

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 04:00:00 -0800

Putting all the fancy machines and accessories aside, sometimes you just want to get in a good workout without having to decipher how to use the gadgets. The overhead press is a great way to work your deltoids, biceps and triceps using a set of dumbbells. Pick a dumbbell weight that tires your muscles by about 12 lifts, a good weight to start with is five pounds.

Here's how:

Stand with your legs hip-width apart, knees soft. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and raise arms so that your biceps are parallel to the ground, arms at 90 angles, palms facing forward.
Exhale as you slowly straighten arms until they are extended as you press your hands straight-up toward the ceiling.
Inhale as you return your arms back to the starting position (biceps parallel to the group and at 90 degree angles).
Repeat 12 times. Do three sets.

Fit's Tip: You can also do overhead presses while sitting on a bench. Or to challenge yourself a little more do them while sitting on an exercise ball.

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Which Type of Fit Man Attracts You?

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:45:00 -0700

A new study has found that women are more physically attracted to brawny men, especially for a fling. But when it comes to finding a long-term partner, they tend to pick a regular man over a mate with huge biceps.

So I am curious: In general are you more attracted to a man with a chiseled bod (Matthew McConaughey), or one who is more average (Matthew Perry)?

Source and Flynet

Guess Who?

FitSugar — Sun, 06 May 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Guess who's got these toned and muscular arms?

Want to find out? Then read more

It's Madonna! Forget Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Girls just wanna have those arms! Her arms are inspirational. She looks so strong - it's amazing!

It must be all the Ashtanga Yoga she does and her macrobiotic diet.

To tone up your arms, you can do arm strengthening exercises like the bent over kick back for toned triceps. Or check out this video to really work all the muscles in your arms, just in time for tank top weather.

View 3 Photos ›

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Get Lifted: Alternating Hammer Curls

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 12:45:00 -0800

Looking to tone up those arms? The Hammer Curl is a great way to work your biceps as well as your forearms.

To learn how to do the alternating hammer curl, read more

Stand (or sit if you are worried about keeping your back straight) with your arms down at your sides holding 8-12 pound dumbbells, palms facing in. Keeping your palms facing in, bend your elbow to raise one arm to shoulder level then lower it back to waist level (think of using a hammer). Repeat with the other side to complete one rep. Do 3 sets of 15.

Fit's Tip: Don't sway your arms to raise the dumbbell, always keep a controlled motion. If you find you need to sway or use your back a lot to do the hammer curl, switch to a lower weight--the name of the game is quality, not quantity. If it feels way too easy, increase to a higher weight.

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Band It: Bicep Curls With Forward Lunges

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:00:33 -0700

Bicep curls are an essential strength-training move, but they can become boring after a while. So make them a little more challenging by adding lunges.

Grab a resistance band and keep reading

Multitasking Move: Wide Squat and Biceps

FitSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:00:00 -0800

Squats are one of the best exercises you can do to strengthen and tone your quads and glutes. Here's a variation with your legs wide, and it incorporates a bicep curl to get more bang for your buck.

To learn how to do this exercise read more.

Hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands with your arms straight and your palms facing away from you. Step your feet apart so there's about 20 inches between your heels. Point your toes out slightly.
When you're ready, bend your knees and elbows. Keep your shoulders over your hips and lower down so your weight is back in your heels. Then straighten your legs and arms. This is one repetition.
Complete three sets of 12 to 15 reps.

Multitasking Move: Walking Squats With Bicep Curls and Overhead Press

FitSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0700

If toning your tush and thighs is on your mind, then you've got to get busy doing squats. They target your lower body like no other move, and just after a few repetitions you'll start feeling the burn. Here's a variation on the basic squat. It's similar to the side squat using a Theraband, but it uses dumbbells to add more resistance, and movement to make it more challenging.

Music: "East Meets West" by Althea W.

To give it a try, read more.

Hold a set of dumbbells in each hand. Start with your feet together with your arms by your sides, palms facing away from you.
As you take a small step to the right and squat down, do a slow and controlled bicep curl. Your feet should be hip distance apart, with your weight in your heels and your quads parallel with each other. Remain in the squat as you do an overhead press. Stay in the squat as you lower your arms down; your elbows are at your sides and your palms are facing you and pressed against your biceps. Then as your step your left foot to meet your right, straighten your arms, finishing the bicep curl.
Repeat this for a total of five steps to the right, then do five steps to the left. This counts as one set. Complete three sets.

Bicep Curl Rehab

FitSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 03:30:00 -0700

One of the most common arm strengthening moves is the bicep curl. At any given point you can find someone doing bicep curls at the gym. Problem is, that at any given point you can also find someone doing them wrong by cheating. Let's identify a possible cause of the problem and figure out how to fix it...

How to Identify a Cheater: Bending the upper body forward (or backward) at the waist makes the bicep curl a lot easier (and more harmful to your back, mind you) because the swaying allows momentum to do the work when it should be your biceps doing most of the work.

Rehab: Stopping your upper body from swaying forward and backward is the key. To do this, stand against a wall and make sure your back is in contact with the wall throughout the entire movement. You can also try sitting on a bench with a back, but don't push through your legs!

Fit's Tip: If you find that you still want to sway, even when backed up against a wall, then chances are that you're using a weight that is too challenging for you. Lower the dumbbell weight and work on your form.

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